RoguesAngels: Prince of Blue Flowers by Ryu Zhong

Please welcome Ryu Zhong author of Prince of Blue Flowers

Prince of Blue Flowers

by Ryu Zhong

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GENRE: Fantasy, Adventure

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INTERVIEW:

Any weird things you do when you’re alone?

Being left on my own, I sometimes rap to myself or sing my thoughts out. I struggle to think in my head; that’s probably one of the reasons I write a lot. Sometimes, I need to argue, and I found that a part of myself can be a good sounding board if I trick myself into fitting my thoughts and arguments into rhymes and rhythms. Somehow, it forces me to think through the meaning more thoroughly.

The resulting poetry is bad.

What is your favorite quote and why?

‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’ — Arthur C. Clarke

It’s a very productive thought that helps me greatly in world-building. When a writer designs a fantasy world full of demons and magicks, there is always a question: what are the laws of magic? We know the laws of technology, so if we hide them well enough, this technology-built magic might become believable. It’s always fruitful to think: what if the demons were, in fact, just robots, and all the spells were, in fact, just voice commands?

Ironically, it works the other way too. While designing some novel tech, it’s useful to stop thinking in patterns of the technology that exists and think: what could be the magical solution, not the technological one?

Because sometimes, it’s both.

Who is your favorite author? And why?

My favorite author of all time is Larry Niven. Not only is he a prolific author of science fiction and a non-paralleled worldbuilder—his Known Space universe is vast and detailed. He also authored ‘The Magic Goes Away’ fantasy series, where he binds together magical and technological ideas. And if you’re a Marvel fan, you should read his ‘Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex’ essay from 1969!

What, in your opinion, are the most important elements of good writing?

I think the most important element of good writing is skill. Or rather skills, of which I’d highlight skills of writing consistently, concisely, and with color.

Skilled in consistency, the writer creates worlds and characters that are believable because they behave coherently and don’t contradict themselves by accident.

Skilled in concision, the writer keeps the attention of the reader on the things they want the attention to be paid to and helps the reader to sharpen their imagination by adding specific details where too broad a description makes the reader stumble.

Skilled in color, the writer triggers the emotional parts of the reader’s mind in an artistic way; they package their meaning not only in descriptions but also in non-obvious hints that the rational consciousness of a reader might not notice, yet the subconscious can’t miss.

But honing the skill is the most important thing. Writing isn’t an area of knowledge; it’s a craft. And the only way to make the writing better is to train, that is, to write and reflect so you will write slightly better next time.

Where did you get the idea for this book?

The ‘Prince of Blue Flowers’ started as a world-building exercise to a very different novel, a science-fiction one. But once I met the protagonist of the story, the teenage boy named Hatsukoi, the story broke free.

Busy with plotting, I researched trickster tales of different people of the world: starting with aboriginal tribes in Oceania, all through Asia and Europe, then on the other side of the pond, merging the Afro-American tales with Mayan myths. That’s when the idea took its proper shape.

BLURB:

Young boy Hatsukoi leaves his village to become a monk, only to find monastic life incredibly boring. With a new-found name and a new-found friend, Hatsukoi travels the countryside and plays tricks at the expense of corrupt, irate, greedy, and ignorant people. Nobles of all ranks—from petty governors to crown princes—fall victim to the boy’s wit and cunning.

As his tricks evolve from childhood frolics to elaborate cons, Hatsukoi grows as well. He learns not only the craft of his trade, but also its higher purpose.

Join Hatsukoi’s journey, laugh at his exploits, and learn with him.

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EXCERPT:

Fragments

In ancient times, on the shores of the Eternal Ocean lay the country of Auyasku. The waves of the three seas cherished her sleep. The

Silent Western Sea lulled her with whispers, and the Glacial Sea squeezed her tightly in its arms. Even the Sea of Great Storms was quiet off the coast of this cold land.

A white fur coat of snow hid Auyasku from the heat of the sun. On the hottest summer day, the bright beams of Celestial Luminary could not penetrate beneath the blankets and awaken Auyasku from her age-old slumber.

In the middle of the country rose a snowy mountain, and on its top was a wonderful rock. This rock was open to the beaming sun and moonlight, because tall trees did not grow on it; moss alone covered the stones, still barely warm from the sun.

And then, one day, the rock produced a stone egg. Later, a marten hatched from this egg, also made of stone, but endowed with limbs and all five senses.

The stone marten quickly learned to run about and hunt small game that hid in the snow. She also made friends with other animals that inhabited the endless fields of Auyasku: foxes, bears, wolves – even moles. And, of course, with other martens, her relatives. The mountain from which she came was called Marten Mountain because it served as a home to many martens.

One morning, when the sun appeared in the east and slowly rolled across the sky, the martens began to frolic around the rock, chasing one another. Having gambolled enough, they calmed down and, staring at the sun, began to talk – for, as the proverb goes, even animals can talk to each other.

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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

‘Ryū’ means ‘dragon’ in Japanese, and ‘Zhong’ can be translated from Chinese as ‘flute’. This amalgam of languages represents the fusion of cultures that characterises the writings of Ryū Zhong.

In their books, Ryū Zhong explore challenges that humanity might face as our technology gets more and more complicated to the level where it becomes magic. Such a shift would force people to look towards religion and reinterpret realities that today, we call fairy tales.

Ryū Zhong were lucky to be born and grow in Asia. Now they live in Amsterdam, study Dutch, and adapt their writings to English.

Links

https://anno-ruini.com — website for the book series

https://ryu.anno-ruini.com — Ryu’s personal blog

https://www.instagram.com/anno.ruini/ — Instagram

https://twitter.com/anno_ruini — Twitter

Book in the Stores

https://www.amazon.com/Prince-Blue-Flowers-Adventures-Takuan/dp/B0BRC7BGB4/

https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=L4unEAAAQBAJ&pli=1

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/prince-of-blue-flowers-ryu-zhong/1143052777

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